HIROSHIMA--Authorities here tightened security this year at annual memorial services for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, sparking criticism from activists and others who call the measures excessive.

Hiroshima officials said they were concerned about the presence of potentially violent extremist groups near the annual venue.

But critics protested that citizens who have long opposed warfare and nuclear weaponry in various way were alike barred from the site this year.

Hiroshima officials distributed a questionnaire to attendees of the Aug. 6 Peace Memorial Ceremony this year asking their views on the “noise from loudspeakers that be heard during the ritual that should be conducted in a solemn setting.”

This effort could prompt more participants to support a quiet, respectful environment.

And citing the need to ensure the rite’s solemnity and safety, the municipal government is enhancing restrictions on demonstrations and other such gatherings.

EXPELLED FOR ‘SECURITY’ REASONS

The commemorative ceremony is held annually on Aug. 6 in front of a cenotaph at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park that reads, “Let all the souls here rest in peace; For we shall not repeat the evil.”

About 300 meters from the venue across a river, an open space before the Atomic Bomb Dome had been the site of rallies for campaigners of a world free from wars and nuclear weapons in their unique styles for many years.

But all that changed this year.

Behind the shift was an incident that occurred on the day of last year's ceremony.

Five members from the Chukaku-ha far-left revolutionary group were arrested and charged with lunging at a city official in a scrum during a demonstration.

The incident occurred as Hiroshima city was negotiating with groups that march loudly during the official peace ceremony to reduce the volume of their loudspeakers.

Stressing the importance of “beefing up security measures,” Hiroshima expanded the restricted zone from half the park to the entire area on the grounds this year. The open space in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome was included in the regulatory zone.

Baggage inspections were conducted to stop visitors from bringing in not only loudspeakers and musical instruments but also banners, fliers and other items. 

Citizens and activists who had formerly staged their campaigns at the plot near the Atomic Bomb Dome had to give up on their activities or change the locations of their events.

“It posed a serious issue in that we could not hold our activity here on the most important day for us,” recalled Naruaki Kuno, 64, one of those activists, who is from the secretariat of the steering committee for the Aug. 6 peace gathering in Hiroshima.

The committee swung into action around the Atomic Bomb Dome in 1981, such as lying on the ground in a "die-in" protest for evoking the tragic scene of people killed under the mushroom cloud from the U.S. nuclear attack.

The steering panel did not organize a demonstration at the open space this year, because it concluded that loudspeakers and banners constitute an essential part of its activity to convey messages.

CALLS FOR SOLEMNITY

According to Kuno’s accounts, noisy demonstrations noticeably increased in number near the venue of the memorial ceremony around 2012, a year after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami ravaged the northeastern Tohoku region.

Struggling to handle the noise problem, Hiroshima city embarked on a questionnaire survey targeting the ritual’s attendees in 2019.

The findings showed that 60 percent of respondents who could hear loudspeaker voices thought the noise had “a negative impact on the rite.”

Against the backdrop of the call for solemnity, a basic ordinance for peace promotion in Hiroshima was introduced at the suggestion of a city assembly member in 2021.

The ordinance specifies that the Peace Memorial Ceremony “should be held in solemnity,” though it does not provide a detailed definition of "solemnity."

Kuno acknowledged that producing loud noise in demonstrations might not be appropriate. He emphasized at the same time that he cannot agree with the municipal government’s ban on the use of not only speakers but banners and more.

“It is natural for many surveyed individuals to prefer a silent ambience,” said Kuno. “But authorities should not exploit the result to control expressive actions. Instead, thorough negotiations should be held on a continual basis.”

Junko Otsuki, 53, another member of the Aug. 6 peace gathering in Hiroshima, who is a second-generation hibakusha and a pastor, noted that ordinary visitors as well as activists are driven away from the area around the venue for the Peace Memorial Ceremony.

Otsuki used to participate in an early-morning, spirit-consoling service near a Buddhist stupa containing unclaimed relics that was once outside regulatory oversight. Citizens were formerly able to freely turn out for prayer, as representatives from Shinto, Buddhism and Christianity united there beyond religious boundaries.

However, Otsuki stated the recently strengthened regulations, including baggage checks, led to a situation in which “almost no ordinary people can be spotted at the soul-consoling site.”

Security is stepped up every year keeping in mind the presence of the prime minister and other VIPs. Consequently, citizens can no longer easily visit the formal ceremony venue.

Otsuki feels the ritual is currently organized for the sake of the state, as she believes people’s feelings and emotions are not reflected in the annual peace declaration of Hiroshima.

For this reason, Otsuki puts increasing emphasis on other activities than the official ritual.

“What is significant is sharing citizens’ sentiments through citizens’ own actions,” said Otsuki. “We were deprived of the place of expression this year under the excuse of preventing a recurrence of the incident (last year).”

Otsuki fears that “restrictions may be boosted further next year in the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing” in the name of security and solemnity.

RIGHT TO REGULATE

Kiyoshi Katagiri, head of Hiroshima city’s division to promote citizen activities, argued that the municipality “can autonomously decide on the attendee list and restrictions” as the ceremony’s organizer.

As the ritual takes place with the city’s formal permission to use the park, Katagiri said the organizer has “the exclusive right to utilize the park based on the municipal park ordinance.”

“We made the latest decision as the organizer while taking into account participants’ safety,” Katagiri insisted. “The objective is preventing a recurrence of the incident.”

At a news conference toward the end of August, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui referred to a group that refused to vacate the open space before the Atomic Bomb Dome.

“Countermeasures must be implemented next year,” said Matsui. “We will be considering ways to harmonize freedom of expression with the ceremony’s solemnity from here on out.”

Masato Ichikawa, a specially appointed professor of constitutional studies at Ritsumeikan University School of Law, cast doubt on the idea that Hiroshima city can freely limit people’s entry just because it has the right to use the park.

His reasoning is that the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a “public forum” that should provide a place for everyone to do activities for expression without restrictions.

Ichikawa thus lambasted the organizer for expanding the restricted zone from half of the park to the entire area this year for the ceremony based on the city’s consent to use the facility.

Though Ichikawa stated it can be said that the ritual organizer is granted the right to management, he argued that Hiroshima “should not make unavailable the unnecessarily broader zone in the public forum during the rite under this rationale alone.”

REMEMBER INITIAL GOAL

Takashi Hiraoka, 96, a former journalist who served two terms as Hiroshima mayor from 1991, expressed his growing sense of crisis about the municipal government’s recent decisions.

“The city apparently intends to get rid of demonstrations in the guise of solemnity,” Hiraoka said. “Demonstrations are intended for free speech, so eliminating them without due consideration is unforgivable.”

The Aug. 6 anniversary is important for Hiroshima because citizens show up en masse to renew their determination to maintain peace.

In Hiraoka’s eyes, the ceremony is going in the opposite direction of its original purpose.

“The ritual aims to console the souls of the war dead in pledging to promote peace,” he said. “Is the recent development really in line with the victims’ hopes?”

Hiraoka, who has listened to the stories of atomic bombing survivors as a local news reporter following the end of World War II, stated that the loss of freedom of speech and expression can drive a nation toward war.

“On behalf of the war dead who can no longer make complaints, we must continue saying that warfare is absolutely unacceptable,” said Hiraoka. “Not repeating war will represent the consolation of their souls in a real sense.”

Hiraoka continued, “The style of the ceremony should be thought based on its initial purpose.”